Monday, May 5, 2014

Making Beds

Imagine this..you are a carpenter, and you are building a wall. You hammer in some nails, and move on to your next task. Within a few minutes, you turn to see that someone has pulled out all of the nails you just put in. You hammer them in once more, and move on. Within a few minutes you turn to see that it has happened again. You continue to repeat the process,over and over until you finally give in to the frustration or quit altogether.

This is what happens in our home, only it is beds I am making, and Mikey is the culprit who quickly moves in to undo what has been done. He has a penchant for unmaking beds...not just his bed, but pretty much every bed in our house. It is hard to get mad at him, because he is not doing it to be rebellious. The boy loves to snuggle. The more pillows, blankets and stuffed animals he can gather around himself, the better he likes it. He keeps things close because I believe it satisfies some sensory need. He feels safe and secure when he is wrapped up tightly, similar to how I would imagine a baby must feel when swaddled. How does one get angry about that?

When people ask me what my idea of a dream house would be, I don't respond by saying I'd want a huge house, enormous property, or one by the water. My response is quite different. My idea of a dream house is one in which all the beds are made in the morning and stay that way until bedtime. A house that is neat and tidy, and where everything has a place. A house where you can usually find whatever it is you are looking for. I would imagine that such a house exists, but it is not mine. As a mother of four boys, I long ago accepted the fact that things will get messy. It is true that I spend the better part of most days picking up toys, sweeping up crumbs, and making beds 50 times a day. While it may not be the dream house I imagined, it is certainly a dream home. One that is filled with cuddles, smiles, sticky hands ,chocolate covered faces,sports equipment, a few toys strewn across the floor, and of course, unmade beds throughout the day.

I cannot lie...when I finish cleaning my house each day ,and I sit back to look around, I feel a sense of calm and a sense of accomplishment, but alas,it is short lived. I know that within a short period of time, the things I have done will slowly be undone. While this should make me upset, it doesn't. It may frustrate me at times, but I know know that without Mikey messing up beds, and his brothers contributing with their own messes, I would only live in a house, not a home. A house is merely a shell....but a home is truly where your heart is.

I equate it to being a gardener. You prepare your soil, plant your flowers, water and feed them. You may have to pull some weeds along the way, but when you eventually sit back and admire how beautiful your flowers are, you realize it was worth all the work. Pulling some weeds everyday in order to see your flowers flourish ,grow, and bask in the sunshine is worth it. I'll gladly pull the weeds, and make many beds along the way too.